


Santa tell me

by bea_weasley



Series: OTP Advent Calendar [7]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Hermione works as an elf at the mall, OTP Advent Calendar, but he is a dorky drunk, harry is drunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27935233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bea_weasley/pseuds/bea_weasley
Summary: Hermione loved to work with Santa at the mall, but she didn't like to walk home wearing her Elf costume, especially when she finds her neighbour drunk out of his mind at the lift
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter
Series: OTP Advent Calendar [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032237
Kudos: 48





	Santa tell me

**Author's Note:**

> Another day, another story, another OTP...
> 
> Based on this prompt: I was dressed up as an elf, because of my job. You’re drunk and think I actually know Santa

**_Santa tell me_ ** **_  
_ **

* * *

Hermione loved to work as an elf for Santa at the mall; Mr Slughorn was so sweet, and the other elves often hung out after work, going to a bar or a restaurant and just having a great time together. It was her fourth time working there, and she adored every minute of it. She usually took off her costume before going home, but some days, she was just so tired that she went straight to her flat still dressed as an elf. This had never caused her any problems... until the day she found her neighbour almost passed out drunk in front of the elevator of the building. 

“Are you all right there, Harry?” Hermione asked when she saw him almost hit his head on the doors of the elevator. “You need some help?”

“Yeah, I think I need help...” Harry trailed off when he looked up at Hermione. “Hey! You’re an elf! You must know Santa!”

“What? Harry, I think you’ve had too much to drink already, and you’re starting to lose it,” Hermione said, grabbing Harry by his arm and pushing the button for the lift. Meanwhile, Harry gazed at her like she was Santa herself.

“You can tell Santa that I was very nice this year, and all I want is that motorbike I’ve been asking for since I was sixteen. I was extra nice this year,” Harry said, slurring over some words, but Hermione still understood most of it. “I helped my grandparents, did everything my mum asked me to do, and I was even a ring bearer at my godfather's wedding!”

Hermione couldn’t help but laugh a little at the image that Harry had put in her mind; she had seen his godfather around the building sometimes and had even stroked conversation with his godfather’s fiance — well, husband, now. Harry saw her laughing and got a little nervous about it. 

“Please, tell Santa that I was nice? My mum would think it’s so nice that one of Santa’s elves thinks I’m nice,” Harry said, almost pouting, and Hermione couldn’t help but agree with him. He was  _ adorable _ !

“Okay, I’ll tell Santa next time I see him, all right?”Hermione said, pushing Harry inside the lift when it finally arrived. It was a Herculean task to put a drunk guy in a lift — one who kept on talking about Santa, and how he wanted to meet all the reindeers, especially Rudolph — but in the end, she succeeded and pressed the button for their floor. It didn’t take long for Hermione to drag Harry out of the lift, but then, she was presented with another problem: Harry had blacked out, and she couldn’t let him sleep on the hall. 

“All right, if someone  _ actually _ talks to Santa, they better tell him that I’m the nicest person they’ve ever met,” Hermione muttered under her breath as she dragged a drunk Harry to her flat. They had only spoken a few times before, but she had always found him nice — hopefully, he was nice enough not to be a serial killer. 

Dropping Harry onto the couch — snoring and being an adorable dork — and covering him with a blanket, Hermione stayed for a little more, staring at him like a creepy Edward Cullen, watching him sleep. Sighing to herself, Hermione went to her bedroom, taking her elf’s costume off and locking her door — just in case. 

* * *

Harry woke up with a splitting headache and decided that it was the last time he would accept Ron’s invite to go drinking with him and the twins; Harry always felt like shit the next day. He was just starting to wake up when he realized that he wasn’t at his flat, and he was  _ definitely _ not in his bed. 

He had flashes of the night before, but the one image that came to the forefront of his mind was of an elf looking at him like he was an alien, and… Oh God, he had told the elf about how he was a nice boy this year! Harry dropped his head in his hands, groaning to himself. 

A voice from his left called out, “Good morning, sleeping beauty.” Harry quickly lifted his head and found his neighbour standing there. So he was at her house, that was nice to know. “You don’t remember much from last night, do you?”

“Just that I saw an elf and told them that I was a nice boy and maybe… that I wanted a motorbike?” Harry said with a grimace on his face, trying to remember more. 

“Oh, yeah, and then you spent the next five minutes talking about how you want to meet Santa and all his reindeers, but especially Rudolph who — and I quote —  _ is the best of them all, and he has that red nose that shines! Have you ever seen anything prettier than that?  _ It was impressive,” Hermione said, her smile hidden behind her festive cup. 

“I’m sorry.” Harry groaned louder this time. “I’m not always like that, but I went out with my friend and his brothers, and I think I had too much to drink. Can you tell me how I ended up on your couch?”

Hermione blushed, and Harry found it adorable. “I work at the mall as one of Santa’s elves, and last night I was so tired that instead of changing my clothes at work, I just came home dressed in my costume and found you in front of the lift. You had almost passed out, and I couldn’t leave you there, so I brought you up with me… But when we got here, you had passed out, and I decided to bring you to my couch, instead of leaving you there in the hall.” Hermione shrugged, not wanting to see Harry’s face. 

“Thank you for letting me in and for not laughing at me. I know I was a little out of sorts last night.” Harry stood up, scratching his neck, not knowing how to act. Hermione shyly offered him a cup of coffee — another festive cup, Harry realized — and he accepted it. “You don’t need to work today? I hope that you didn’t miss work because of me.”

“No need to worry, today was my day off,” Hermione said with a small smile. Harry realized he liked to see her smile. 

“So I should probably head back now. I don’t want you to miss anything because of me,” Harry said, putting the cup on the counter and beginning to walk to the door.

“It’s only ten, so no need to worry or anything… Unless you have to go to work,” Hermione stammered, wincing at what she had said.

“It’s my day off, too. That’s why I went out drinking yesterday,” Harry said quickly. “How about, as a thank you, I treat you to breakfast?”

“You don’t need to do that, Harry,” Hermione tried to say, but Harry was faster than her. 

“I know that I don’t  _ need _ to, but since I was a nice boy all year, why should I mess it up, right?” Harry said, winking in her direction, which made Hermione blush. “I’ll go to my house to take a shower and change, and we’ll meet downstairs in fifteen minutes, okay?”

“Sure,” Hermione said, smiling like the Cheshire cat. “I’ll make sure to leave my elf costume here.”

Harry groaned and left her apartment faster than he thought was possible, but he could still hear Hermione’s laughter behind him. He may have been ashamed, but he guessed that he needed to send a thank-you note to Ron later —  _ after _ his breakfast with Hermione. 


End file.
